Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan was unable to join his teammates to undergo a recovery training session at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday after the Black Stars shared the spoils 1-1 with Congo in the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers two days earlier.

The 31-year-old striker, who declared himself fit ahead of the first leg in Kumasi, lasted 63 minutes before he was replaced by Thomas Agyepong due to injury.

The Black Stars have had their worst start to the World Cup qualifiers since 2006, after failing to pick a win in three games, and now sitting third in Group E with only two points, five behind leaders Uganda.

With Appiah’s men in dire need of points to revive their campaign, Gyan’s absence would be a huge blow to their ambitions of making it to a fourth consecutive Fifa World Cup.

The all-time topscorer and most capped player of the Black Stars will have to pass a late fitness test before he can travel with the team for the second leg.

West Ham United midfielder Andre Ayew also missed the training session due to fatigue, but unlike Gyan, he is expected to travel with the team to Brazzaville.